Month: January 2016

As the 2016 Republican primary continues to move forward and into second gear; Donald Trump also continues to dominate in the polls. Whether or not he actually gets the Republican nomination and then goes on to win the general election is still up in the air nonetheless, the question needs asking, would a Trump Presidency be a good thing or a bad thing for the country?

To start, let us look at the theme of Donald Trumps’s campaign message, “Make America Great Again.” First of all what exactly does he mean by making it great again? Lots of countries/nations throughout history have been considered great; these include, but not limited to the Roman Empire, the Soviet Union, and even Nazi Germany; all were considered “great.” Great does not equal good necessary, for there are many levels of what makes one great. Historically the United States of America has been a great nation because it was a good nation. By good I mean that it was a moral nation, a nation of ideals, and the people. Indeed, our very Constitution begins with “We the People.”

So what does Trump mean when he says he will “Make America Great Again.” Does he mean morally good and Constitutionally good or does he just mean great as in being a military, economic, and world leader again. Don’t get me wrong, those three things have been good for America (indeed the world) in the past, but only when it has been paired with and came as an afterthought to a “good” nation. What Trump represents is a knee-jerk reaction to events and the loss of status/leadership of the United Staes in the world. But the way he would most likely go about fixing such is not by returning the United Staes back to its roots of being a good moral nation but by being the “strong man” to other nations.

There is also where Trump stands on the illegal immigration debate and the letting in of refugees from the Middle East. Now both are serious problems that require fixing in this country, with regards to how we currently handle both. But what Trump is proposing is that for the first, we get rid of them and build a giant wall; and for the second, don’t let any in at all because a few may or may not be linked to Islamic Terrorism.

For the illegal immigration issue, yes, we need to secure the border and solve the problem of those here in the United States illegally, but we can’t just deport them, for one it is not practical and for two completely inhumane. As it regards securing the border, a wall may very well work, but it is not the only thing that will, and certainly not by its self. Now for the refugees and the possibility of terrorists coming into this country to do harm, through them. Yes, there is always that threat and yes, we can’t guarantee we will be able to screen/prevent all of them. But it is impossible to prevent all attacks and provide perfect security, especially in a free society. The only way to do so is in a police state.

Look, when it comes to protecting the country from Islamic State and other Islamic Terrorist groups, the best we can do is be on our guard, take several precautions here and there, such as running as thorough background checks possible on all refugees that we let into the country as best we can. But we will never get 100% and we should not let that stop us from being who we are as a nation and welcome with open arms, those who are fleeing for their lives.

Back to Donald Trump and why else he is a bad idea for the Presidency of the United States; this point I feel the most important and that is the fact that he only cares about himself. For the Donald, it is all about him and nobody else. Everything and everyone, he sees as how can they benefit him. There is the rub, we are already nearing the completion of eight years of one narcissistic president, we do not need nor can we afford another.

I understand that the vast majority of Republican voters (indeed all of America) is upset and angry with the party establishment and that of Washington as a whole; I am too, but that is no excuse for picking the first and loudest voice to be the nominee for President of the United States. Whoever it is that is chosen, will represent and be a representative of the parties’ views and ideals. Because of this, voters must think long and hard about who they vote for and why. They cannot do so on emotion. That there is the problem with Trump; he does not truly represent the Republican (IE Conservative) values. He is only taking advantage of voter anger and emotion for his own gain and views/agenda; whatever those may be, only he and God knows. Whatever else he may be, he is a demagogue and he must not become the Republican Party’s standard bearer, let alone the President of the United States of America.

Over the last few years, we have seen in the United States an increasingly incompetent and broken political system in our nation’s capital, Washington D.C. Our politicians can not get along and hardly ever come together to get things done. Washington has increasingly become a town of “it’s either my way or the highway.” This goes beyond the regular division of Conservative and Liberal, Republican and Democrat (yes, you libertarians as well); this is about how our nation’s politics have become so divided that hardly anything can get done in Washington.

Along with the wide division is the fact that hardly any politician is in Washington for anything other than themselves. They and Washington have become so self-serving that when you combine that with the divisiveness, you get why the federal government can hardly get anything done these days. Going back to the beginning of this great republic, our founding fathers knew of the human tendency to be selfish and look after one’s own interest and historically how that has worked out in governments. That is exactly why they designed the Constitution as they did with the divisions of power and so forth. Even so, there has always been a certain amount of self-interested politicians, even in the founders day, and the United States is no stranger to divisiveness.

But the divisiveness and self-interests in our nation’s politics today is just beyond the pale. Not even the founders would or could of, imagined it all. In fact, they would be completely appalled at how our politicians act today, every single one of them; if they were with us today. This problem of politics is so great that it cannot be solved with just replacing the current crop of politicians. You will still have the problem with the new ones. Even you suddenly tomorrow every single member of Congress were to disappear and we got a completely new Congress, it is doubtful anything meaniful would change.

In order to solve the problem of politics or at the very least make it a lot more bearable as it has historically been thanks to the founders, we as a country need three things. First, “We the People” need to get back involved in the political process, not just by voting in elections and joining or starting a political activist group, but by paying attention to what goes on in the country and with our politicians and actually holding them accountable. Vote, but vote informed and don’t vote on emotion.

The second thing is related to the first and goes with it; that is a return to virtue. When I mean a return to virtue, I do not just mean we need leaders with virtue, I mean that the people need to be virtuous. When a people are virtuous, their leaders will more often than not be virtuous as a result. Leaders of any country, especially in Republics and democratic countries tend to be a reflection of the people.

The third and perhaps most important step is, no matter which side of the political spectrum you are on; in good governance nothing can really get done without moderation. This is indeed true in the Untied States throughout its history. From the very beginning of our history with the drafting of the constitution, we have had a moderation of different viewpoints and ideas being melded together to get the best results possible. Now this does not mean “compromising” one’s core beliefs, but moderating and negotiating with political opponents to where you can find agreements. Sometimes it also means giving up something less important for a very important objective and belief, the other side does the same thing.

Bottom line, is that as long as we continue to have this extreme mentality on both/all sides of the political system of demanding everything be one way or the other; we will see the continuation of Washington gets nothing done and the downward spiral of the country. We as a nation have to be able to come together beyond one’s political beliefs. If there is no moderation, that is the bringing together of different viewpoints on any given issue; then there is no cross-talking and as a result you get the divisiveness and self-interest politics that we have now.

As we now begin the new and presidential election year of 2016, we as a nation are again confronted with the fact that in the electoral process, all conventional wisdom has been thrown out the window with the continual dominance of Donald Trump in the Republican Primary race so far. The rise of Trump can be attributed to one thing and that is anger, anger at the establishment of not only the Republican Party but Washington in general.

This anger is understandable in that over that last few years little if anything is able to get done in Washington D.C. Politicians in both political parties are increasingly viewed as out of touch with the voters and in the pockets of special interests. However, voters should always beware of voting just on that anger alone and not truly looking at a candidate or issue.

It may be in the short term, be very satisfying to vote for someone who seems just as angry at the whole political system as you are and is just trashing everyone a part of it. But in the long run, will only lead to trouble, for you, aren’t voting fully aware of all the facts and knowledge about the situation and a candidate that is driving you to vote.

For those who are being drawn towards Donald Trump because of being tired of the letdown and disappointment from the Republican Party establishment as well as the establishment of Washington as a whole, all I can say is be careful what you wish for. You are willing to put up with and support him no matter what he does and says because you see him taking it to the “man” so to speak.

But does Trump really share your views and concerns, is he really the best choice to shake up and change how things are done in Washington? Or is he just bringing to light how messed up this country is right now? Is he perhaps taking advantage of your anger and frustration, (rightly so) for his own gain?

In the end, no matter how messed up this country is. No matter how much needs to change. We as a nation and you, the individual voter need to remember our roots as a nation and its Constitution. We are and always will be under said Constitution a Republic. What is a Republic, you ask. It is a representative democracy, where the people use their best judgement and knowledge to elect those who will best represent their interests and govern for all. When one votes on just anger alone; or allows their anger to control them they cannot do that reliably.

“Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” Romans 15:7

As Christians, we are called to welcome all peoples and bring the good news to Christ to them regardless of who they are or where there are from. However, in practice, we humans are not always that good at the inclusive part of being Christian or just plain being inclusive. We divide ourselves on race, creed, wealth, ideology, and politics.

This is especially true whenever we face times of crisis and the fear of the unknown about a certain group of people overcome our good senses and morals. This has been a black mark on the United States of America with the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII and now threatens to do so again, not only in the United States but for the countries of the European Union as well.

The Refugee crisis from people fleeing the civil war in Syria has brought the enemy of Christ and inclusiveness once again to the forefront of people’s minds in the Western World. Fear of terrorist attacks, of losing national identity and just not knowing how to deal with so many new people flooding the system all at once. These are all legitimate fears, but one cannot let them override one,s normal sense of what is right and let that fear take over. A little fear is good, it is a survival instinct, but when that fear paralyzes us and changes us, that is never a good thing.

For the United States and most of Europe who is now dealing with this crisis, we all should know better. For both have strong Christian roots, even when faith has lost much of its meaning in much of Europe and to a lesser extent in the United States as well, both still have the underlining values and teachings of being a Christian, such as inclusiveness.

The thing to remember when it comes to crises such as the current refugee one and the threat of terrorism is that a society can still be open and accommodating to those in need and still take precautions. A society can also take steps to make sure that assimilation does happen, as is largely done in the United States already. The main thing is that if we let our fear of something take over, it will change who we are before we even realize it. This change is never in the long run, good for ourselves and society for it is self-destructive. It is self-destructive because one never makes the change them self, but lets their fear do it for them. So matter what happens in the future, remember to be inclusive of others, for Christ died for all.